Quote of the Month:
“Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own." - Charles Dickens
Population: 443,817
Area: 656 square miles
County Seat: Vancouver
OVERVIEW
Clark County is a beautiful land of contrasts. It is located in the southwestern part of Washington and is a part of the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area. The county’s area is 656 square miles; the largest city is the county seat Vancouver.
Clark County is borderedon the west and south by the Columbia River. This is the first county of Washington State that was named after William Clark from the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Clark County is famous for its’ beautiful mountains: Mount Hood, Mount Saint Helens and Mount Adams. All of them offer wonderful recreation and hiking opportunities.
HISTORY
The history of Clark County began on July 27, 1844 as the District of Vancouver; it included large territories north of the Columbia River, land on the south of Alaska and the land west of the Rocky Mountains.
Chinook Indians lived on this territory long before the first Euro-American people arrived here. They used the rivers of the county as travel routes and main source of food. It goes without saying that rivers were extremely important to the Indians. The Cowlitz River and the Willamette River provided access to the territories that nowadays are known as Western Washington and Western Oregon. The Columbia River provided access to Rocky Mountain areas and to the Pacific Ocean.
The county’s location played a great role in the history of the county. At first, it was a well-known trading center and later became an agricultural area. The main industries of the county have been agriculture, fishing, lumber, and later shipbuilding and aluminum industry.
COUNTY SEAT
Vancouver is the fourth largest city in Washington State with a population over 160,000 people. Vancouver is separated from Portland, Oregon by the Columbia River. It should be said that both cities are part of Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area with a population of more than 2,000,000 people. In 2005, this city was No. 91 on the list of best places for living in America according to Money magazine. Many people choose to live in Vancouver because there are no state or corporate taxes and a property tax rate is lower. Vancouver is a great place not only for living, but also for recreation.
TOP ATTRACTIONS
Fort Vancouver
Originally it was built as the headquarters of the British Hudson’s Bay Company. This place was political, cultural and business center. In the 19-th century, Fort Vancouver was the most famous fur trading outposts along the Columbia River. Nowadays, a reconstructed replica of the fort welcomes its’ guests and visitors.
Mount Adams Area
Standing in the wildest part of Washington’s South Cascades, Mount Adams is the second tallest mountain in the state. The west slopes are famous for the most beautiful Mt. Adams Wilderness. This recreational area is popular among hikers, climbers and campers. Trails that run through the wilderness offer breathtaking views of Mount Adams with its glaciers, spectacular lakes and streams, alpine meadows full of wildflowers that grow among lava flows and rimrocks.
Mount Adams is created out of several lava cones from different eruptive periods. The latest known lava flows are called the Muddy Fork lavas and they are about 3000 years old, and the oldest eruption is about 250,000 years old.
Clark County Historical Museum
This museum will offer great opportunity for tourists to plunge into history of the county, to return back to the 13-th century. Museum has wonderful exhibitions, such as the Native American Gallery and the American Military memorabilia.
Enjoy authentic recreations of an old country store, early American country kitchen and turn of the century doctor’s office.
Lucia Falls Regional Park
This 24-acre park is situated along the East Fork Lewis Rives and offers great opportunities for hiking, picnicking and scenic views of Lucia Falls. Remember that swimming and other water activities are not allowed. This park is a perfect place to view spawning salmon.
Vancouver Lake Park
This park stretches for 2.5 miles along the shore of Vancouver Lake. The territory of the park is 234 acres, 35 acres are devoted to the wonderful parkland, where visitors may enjoy sand volleyball, windsurfing and comfortable picnic areas.
The park is home for different kinds of wild animals and migratory waterfowl. On a clear day, visitors of the park will surely enjoy the views of Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Hood.
Information: Marina Petrova
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